Sailor Moon: A Special Friendship By Eric "Greywolf" den Biesen Elder Venus and Elder Mars watched silently as the sleek courier vessel from the Crystal Kingdom made its landing approach. They had been summoned, in haste, from the training field where the Elder Senshi instructed the younger Senshi. "Do you have any idea what this is all about, Mars?" Elder Venus asked, turning to her counterpart from Mars. "None. Just a vague feeling of dread," she answered worriedly. They watched as the ship landed gently and a loading ramp descended from the side of the vessel. Both elder Senshi recognized the gray haired man as he exited the ship. "Ambassador Norkon! What are you doing here?" Elder Venus exclaimed, "Your vacation still has two weeks to go!" Elder Mars nudged her comrade to silence her. Then Elder Venus noticed what Mars had noticed earlier. Norkon's face was white and lined with weariness and grief. "Not now, my Ladies," he whispered hoarsely, his face working with some strong emotion, "I must see the Queen at ONCE. The news I have can't wait!" Elder Mars' feeling of dread increased by several notches and she took charge immediately. "This way, My Lord Norkon!" she said hurriedly as she and Elder Venus accompanied him to the Moon Palace where Serenity was holding Court. When they reached the Throne Room, Serenity was waiting for them. She was a beautiful elegant woman with long silver hair in the odango and ponytail arrangement which was the traditional hair style for women of the Royal Family. She was also four months pregnant and dressed in a long white maternity gown. Elder Mars stepped forward. "My Queen!" she announced, "I present Ambassador Norkon with an urgent message from the Crystal Kingdom!" Serenity smiled, hiding her disquiet. The message from Earth, telling her to expect the Ambassador had been disjointed and non-informative. To top it off, whatever the message was, it was so important that they had sent the Ronin, a prototype of the new StarShark class couriers, to bring him as fast as possible. "Welcome back, My Lord Norkon!" she said warmly, "What is this important message that interrupts your well deserved vacation?" Norkon stepped forward and knelt before the throne. "My Queen, I don't wish to offend but I ask that everyone except your Dragonkin Guard and the two Elder Senshi be dismissed," he requested urgently, "This news is for your ears only!" His head was bowed and he was obviously under stress. Serenity's heart began to pound as she gave orders to clear the Throne Room. "Now, My Lord, what is your message?" she asked with apprehension when her orders had been carried out. "My Queen, two hours ago, the Prince Consort was killed in a skirmish with creatures from what we call `The Dark Kingdom'," he whispered hoarsely without raising his head, "These creatures appear out of nowhere and raid outlying settlements. The Prince was nearby during the latest such raid and led his Guard against them." It took all Serenity's willpower to prevent the wail she felt rising to her lips from escaping. Her face had paled and her lips silently formed her husband's name as she shook her head in denial. "Are you certain?" she asked tonelessly, "It was Prince Orion?" Norkon wept openly now. "Yes, My Queen," he replied, tears streaming down his face, "His Guard was decimated before our soldiers could arrive. We killed some of them, but most escaped using some kind of dark gate. The dead ones turned to dust and vanished, so we have nothing to study!" "I see," she whispered. It took everything she had to hold her composure. The terrible grief inside was gnawing away at her will and she knew she couldn't hold it in much longer. "Mars," she said, turning to the two Elder Senshi, "Please see Lord Norkon to his quarters and see to his needs. Venus, spread the news throughout the Kingdom, today is a day of mourning!" The two Senshi nodded and left with the weeping Norkon between them. Serenity stepped down from the dais and approached Vordin, her Guard Commander. Vordin was also Eldar of the Dragonkin and he had been a close friend of Orion's. "Vordin, I'm going to the Inner Gardens," she told him as she felt her composure starting to crack, "Place your Dragonkin by the doors. I am NOT to be disturbed for ANY reason!" "Yes, My Queen," he whispered as he fought his own grief. She entered the Royal Gardens as Vordin watched and shut the doors with finality. He dispatched Dragonkin to ward the other three doors leading into the Gardens and he took the door Serenity had entered. "The Queen must NOT be alone at this time of grief, WHATEVER she says!" he told Avalon, the Dragonkin who had remained with him, "She needs a shoulder to cry on and I know the perfect person. Fetch my mate, Maeribeth, from the Kin Caverns. Tell her everything and tell her she must find her OWN way into the Gardens since we cannot let her through the doors. She'll know what I mean." Avalon bowed and departed for the Dragonkin Caverns on the outskirts of the Capital. Serenity wandered aimlessly through the Gardens, its beauty utterly lost on her as her mind wandered in circles. When she reached a stone bench under a Lunar Fringe tree, her composure finally shattered. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she reached out a trembling hand to touch the bench. she thought in pain. She placed a hand on her rounded stomach. "Little One," she whispered, "You will never know your father!" She collapsed to her knees and lowering her head onto the bench, wept in great heaving sobs at her terrible loss. Maeribeth laid her head down wearily. As the only Soul Healer in the Silver Millennium, she was always on call to heal minds and souls. She had just returned from the Mercury Kingdom where one of the Court had been suffering from such guilt over something she had done that she was damaging her psyche. That had been a long session and she was exhausted. "Lady Maeribeth! Lady Maeribeth, please come at once!" a voice cried out. Maeribeth looked up sharply. She rustled her wings in irritation. she thought irritably. She exited the large room that was her resting place and entered the vast Meeting Hall. Her crest rose as she was overcome with curiosity at seeing Avalon waiting for her, obviously in the grip of some strong emotion. She opened her senses and was staggered at the waves of grief and loss coming not only from Avalon, but from all over the Kingdom! "Avalon, what's happened?" she demanded, "Why do I sense such terrible grief?" As the story poured out, Maeribeth's crest slowly flattened and her head hung until it almost touched the floor. Dragonkin could not weep in their natural forms, but with her flattened crest and hanging head, Maeribeth was the picture of mindnumbing grief. Suddenly she gasped and her head flew up. "The Queen!" she cried in concern, "The poor child shouldn't be left alone! Is there no one with her?!" Avalon shook his head silently. "She gave orders that she wasn't to be disturbed," he explained, "She's in the Inner Gardens, and My Lady, the Eldar WANTS you to disturb her!" "Of COURSE, I'll disturb her!" she returned, "The silly child! She NEEDS someone right now! I'll fly in, that way, Vordin won't have disobeyed her!" She left the Kin Caverns at a run and thrust herself into the air, ignoring her weariness as she headed for the Royal Palace and a soul in need. On reaching her destination, she scanned the Inner Gardens and locating the Queen under a Lunar Fringe tree, she landed on the far side so the Queen wouldn't hear. She shimmered as she assumed her human form. Maeribeth stood at the edge of the little clearing, watching Serenity as she grieved. Maeribeth thought sadly, She slowly and carefully approached the weeping Queen. She sat silently on the stone bench Serenity was weeping over and gently touched the Queen's silver gilt head. Serenity looked up with a gasp of surprise. She saw a silver haired young woman seated on the bench. The silver dragon symbol on her forehead marked her as Dragonkin. Serenity thought distracted, The Soul Healer spoke. "Your heart is heavy with grief, child!" she said gently, "I am here to ease its pain." Serenity thought indignantly. She was about to state that she wished to be left alone when she looked into the Dragonkin's eyes. Silvery eyes. Ancient eyes. Eyes so full of compassion and understanding, that before she knew what she was doing, she was weeping wildly in Maeribeth's lap. Maeribeth sat stroking Serenity's hair as she grieved over her beloved's death. Her tender heart smote her as she realized that Serenity no longer had anyone to confide in. Someone to whom she need not be Queen, but merely a young woman in need of comforting from time to time. "I'm sorry!" Serenity said after her weeping finally subsided. She tried to regain her composure and be Queen again. Maeribeth took her firmly by the chin and looked down into her startled eyes. "Stop it, child!" she scolded, "You need someone to whom you can just be Serenity, and not Queen. I am here for you, ALWAYS!" Serenity thought, wanting desperately to accept her offer. She nodded shakily. "I...don't know if I can go on without Orion," Serenity confessed painfully, "He was my companion, confident AND love. Without him, I'm a little lost!" Maeribeth put her arm comfortingly around her shoulders "You can!" she soothed, "You're stronger than you think and you'll have me, the Dragonkin Guard AND the Elder Senshi to help. In time, your child will be there for you to love and the Younger Senshi will also enter the equation at some point!" Serenity looked so miserable that Maeribeth made a decision that her kind had made only a handful of times in their long history. And all those times had been in the Star Kingdoms. She got to her feet with a decisive motion and regarded the startled Serenity. "You need a distraction!" she claimed, "A moment of peace." She shimmered and assumed her Dragonkin form. She glanced at her back, concentrated and an ornate saddle appeared. She turned back to Serenity and her jaw dropped in a Dragonkin grin. Serenity was looking at her in awe. She knew what was coming. In all the centuries the Dragonkin had been in the Moon Kingdom, they had never permitted a human rider, until now. "You..you mean you'll let me....?" Serenity stuttered unbelievingly. She felt a fierce joy well up amidst the grief as the Dragonkin nodded her great head in confirmation. She was being given a gift like NO other! The chance to ride the winds on Dragonkin wings! Suddenly, she was a young girl again with a chance to attain her childhood dream. She eagerly, with Maeribeth's amused and understanding assistance, climbed into the saddle. She strapped herself into the special side saddle and gripped the bar at the front. When she was ready, Maeribeth leapt skyward. Serenity reveled in the feeling of power beneath her as her great companion climbed rapidly. She looked down at the Moon Kingdom's capital, dwindling as they climbed. she thought, She heaved a sigh that was almost a sob, but not quite. When Maeribeth had attained a comfortable altitude, she turned towards the Crystal Mountains, north of the Capital city. Serenity enjoyed the wind whistling past her and her view of the landscape from above. Soon, they reached their goal and spotting a wide ledge, high up the side of a mountain, Maeribeth landed. Serenity unstrapped herself and dismounted. She stood next to Maeribeth, her hand resting gently on Maeribeth's neck. They listened as the wind picked up. There was a sound almost like wind chimes as the wind whipped through the mountains and Serenity felt a sense of peace come over her. She looked at her Capital city in the distance and then turned to her companion. "You have given me two gifts beyond price!" she began hesitantly, "Giving me my childhood dream AND your friendship. What can I possibly give you to equal that?" Maeribeth snorted. "You already have!" she returned, "You gave me your trust and you gave me YOUR friendship! I'd say that's a fair trade!" Serenity smiled painfully, her eyes full of tears. "I hope you know that I'll probably cry all over you several times a day until I come to terms with Orion's death!" Maeribeth shimmered into her human form. "I have plenty of handkerchiefs so I think I can handle it!" she grinned, "After all, what are friends for, right?" She extended her hand and Serenity clasped it warmly. "You know, you're right!" she agreed softly, "This may indeed turn out to be a SPECIAL friendship!" The End (For now.)